Do You Have a Chihuahua?

Today I am going to profile the Chihuahua for you. Some people absolutely can’t stand this breed of dog – they are often referred to as “yappy” or “spoiled”, but these tiny dogs have a lot of heart. If you are a person who can not stand the Chihuahua, please take a couple minutes and read this post closely!! Hopefully I can clear up any misconceptions you may have about the breed.

Physical Description:

Height: Between 6-9 inches

Weight: Between 2-6 pounds

Life Expectancy: about 15 years (on average)

The Chihuahua is a very small dog with an apple shaped head. In puppies these dogs generally have a “molera” or soft spot located on the top of the skull – bone usually covers this by adulthood. The ears of this breed are held straight up and are a trademark (how could you miss those ears?).

There are two different varieties: the long-haired and the short-haired and this breed can come in colors ranging from tan, black, fawn, even mixed colors such as black & tan.

Personality:

Although this dog is very small, he acts as though he is as large as a Great Dane! He is very courageous, seemingly not afraid of anything and become very attached to their owners. They are incredibly loyal and a great choice for a companion dog – if you don’t mind getting licked in the face every once in awhile!! This dog is not recommended for houses with small children as the Chihuahua’s only line of defense is using his sharp teeth and he may snap at teasing children.

Exercise:

Like all dogs, Chihuahua’s need exercise. A walk of about 30 minutes a day should be sufficient to keep this little guy relaxed and healthy!

Living Requirements:

Because of their small size and thin fur this breed is not recommended for a cold climate. He has very little body fat and fur to keep him warm. This is partly why you occasionally see this breed dressed up in warm sweaters (not only is it a fashion trend, it also helps to keep him warm)! This breed would do wonderfully in an apartment setting as long as he isn’t too loud.

Common Health Issues:

You need to be careful how much food you feed him. Chihuahuas are not very big, so he will gain a lot of weight if continually overfed. Also be sure to take extra precaution when he is a puppy – the soft spot at the top of his head makes him prone to injury. Keep a close watch on his eyes – since a Chihuahua’s eyes protrude (or stick out) from his head, they are susceptible to injury, infection, and glaucoma – any signs of infection see your veterinarian IMMEDIATELY!!

Your Chihuahua pictures are welcome! Please send to: dsheffler@petstrong.com – any pictures sent will be added to this post.

Thanks for reading! As always your participation in comments and discussions are encouraged and greatly appreciated!!

This entry was posted on Friday, November 16th, 2007 at 02:30 pm and is filed under Dogs, PetStrong. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.